July 05, 2013

What a difference a year or two makes

When you're in the day-to-day chaos of life, it's easy to miss those small, subtle changes in your kids. It's not until you step back and consciously focus on the bigger picture that the cumulative effect of all those changes whomps you in the face.

I recently had two of those WHOAH moments.

The first was when we biked down to the water steps. As Bea and Liv waded into the water, I took a picture. As I looked at the picture afterward, I realized I had a very similar one from two years ago. Bea had only been with us for a few months, and the fact that she was holding her sister's hand was monumental.

The second was when I took Bea to ballet last week. We tried last year; she firmly barnacled herself to me and refused to participate. When I had the "genius" idea to send Liv in with her (parents aren't allowed in the studio), she participated for a few minutes and then peed all over the floor. "I am NEVER doing that again, mom," proclaimed Olivia. And really, I couldn't blame her. We did the unenrollment of shame.

This year, she still tried to barnacle herself to me. I disentangled myself and walked out of the room, nonchalantly sliding over the curtain just a bit. (Spy? Who, me?)

People, she participated. Completely. With a smile on her face.

She also might be the faster jumper in the East. She does have a few balance problems, though... much like her mom.